The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-14
TEMPERANCE.
Playing Drunkard.

might wish to see,
He had buxom, tidy wife and bright-eyed
children three,
But Jones was weak in one respect-he had
love for rum,
And often from the drinking shop would
:taggerlng homeward come.
His good wife grieved to see him thus, but
bore all patiently,
And prayed and hoped that in some way he
would reformed be,
She never waver'd in her faith, but toiled
with hand and brain,
And in the end with Joy she found her pray
CTS were not in vain.
! Thus it occurred, One Sunday morn, while
Jones lay on tho floor
Sleeping away the outcome of his spree the
night before,
His wife had gone to church to pray that his
reform might come, ,,
ones Mt home.
When passed away the lethargy caused by
the flowing bowl,
Jones gazed around and saw sight which
shocked his very soul.
His eldest child a boy of six, with froWzy,
unkept hair,
Was staggering around the room with idiotic
stare,
The while his other little ones laughed loudly
in their glee,
His grimaces, and founderinss, and antics
queer to see.
"Im only playing drunk" he said, ito imi'
But if I had some liquor, could do it better,
far.
But children amt allowed to drink, so know
what rll do
III wait till grow up and then I'll be
drunkard too."
~ reckon not" Jones muttered, with heav'
ems help III try
To do my duty after this in strict sobriety.
My eyes shall ne'tr again behold scene SO
sad as 5his;
Come here my precious little ones, and give
papa kiss!'
+
When Mrs Jones came home from church he
met her at the door, ~
And tenderly embracing her, said: "Wife,
I'll drink no more!'
She saw the truth shine in his eyes ard wept
for very Joy,
But new. knew the change was wrought by
-Fancis S. Smith.
Why We Need Temperance Reform.
The movement for the teaching of the prin-
cples of temperance in the public schools Is
thoroughly philosophical in its fundamental
people the individual shall be self controlled,
or at least capable of self-control. Education
makes and marks the difference between the
savage and the civilian. knowledge Is the
foundation of self.control. The old maxim
says that fright wrongs no man" so say
that light wrongs no man. Truth wrongs NO
man, but it helps each man to control MIN
self. There is, and there can be, no question
of the terrible evil of intemperance. All
thinking men are agreed that it is the great
est social evil OF the age. This cry for tenn
perance teaching is the echo Of Gods prlm-
mordial decree: "Let there be light" 1t IS
the pleading Of the millions of the children OF
the land, beseeching that they may not be sent
naked, without shield or armor, into the pat
tie of life to contend against odus, noe ohly
with the open and disclosed enemy but also
with those that lie in ambush and aSsall them
in DISGUISE. 1t is the appeal Of hundreds OF
thousands of the noblest and purcst women
of the land in behalf of their homes, their
children, their altars. and their tresides lt
is tho plea of the home, the church, anu the
school combined that if our tender ones ana
our helpless ones must run the gauntlet % OF s tne
army Of alcohol they may, Mt loast, be fore-
warned and upon guard against the lurking
danger.-W. Q. 4. u.
They Bear the Curse.
There is one class Of workers for temper
ance that ought to be, and in the main is safe
It is The women upon whom the curse of
drunkenness rests most heavily, anl when
women @ unite to protect their homes from its
blight their provocation and their aim should
sorHro for them at least the respect of silence
from those who do not believe in their reme-
dies for an evil that none can deny.
Woman's suffering from drunken hus-
bands, fathers, sons and brothers gives her
rs1T risnS to en stT l0e giSeNspp We York Word
Mrs. E. S. Boyd, Of Wyoming, writes
"Our Prohibition rarty will be mostly, wo-
men, but that makes no dlfference mere,